Cracker Turnarounds Drive Feedstock Costs Lower but Boost Ethylene Pricing

With the North American turnaround season is beginning to gear up, U.S. ethane prices have fallen 7% since the start of the year, to about 68 cts/gal, as a result of reduced operating rates. Several major petchem producers—including ExxonMobil Chemical, LyondellBasell and Shell Chemical—are taking down large crackers for maintenance this month, resulting in lower demand for ethane and increased demand for purchased ethylene. The slide in raw material ethane prices has resulted in a 12- cts/lb change in ethane/ethylene cash margins, players say.  ...

This information is only available to Chemical Week subscribers.

Forgot your user ID or password?
Click here to have it sent to you.

Email Address First Name Last Name

Not an IHS Chemical Week 24/7 member yet? Here's why you should be: Searchable online archive access of the last 2 years of Chemical Week. Print or digital magazine subscription Price and market change alerts Economic data and statistics Buyers' Guides Webcasts | whitepapers